Bottle-closure.



G. F. ELLIOTT.

BOTTLE CLOSURE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-23. 19 15.

1,17s,39, K Patented Apr. 4,1916.

s'ra'rns A BOTTLE-CLOSURE.

Application filed November 23, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE F. ELLIGTT, acitizen of the United States, residing at lVashington, in the Districtof Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBottle-Closures; and I do hereby declare-the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled'in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My present invention relates to improve ments in bottle closures, anditis especially intended to provide an improved bottle closure using ametal cap with an inner layer or layers of soft compressible material,and in which it is desired to use the minimum amount of metal possibleto secure an efiicient bottle closure.

My invention is especially intended to provide an improvement over theconstruction shown in my Patent No. 1,157,518, granted 'October' 19,1915, and entitled Improvements in stoppers for bottles, and in myallowed application, Serial No. 28,367, filed May 15, 1915, and entitledImprovements in bottle closures. According to my patent aforesaid amaterial saving in metal in the cap is effected by using a thin disk ofre-. silient material in the cap, whereby a shallow cap may be used;while in my application, Serial No. 28,367, I effect a further saving inthe metal of the cap by the form of tabbed construction therein shown.In both of those devices the blank from which the metal cap is formed isstamped out of a sheet plate, leaving considerable waste metal betweenthe adjacent blanks; and the principal object of the present inventionis to reduce this Waste metal to a minimum.

It is well known that'a continuous floor may be made of a series ofblocks having square blocks, or' hexagonal blocks all the blocks beingof the same size, and that the blocks may be made to fit snugly togetherwithout the necessity of any intervening lining. In a similar way thebody of a plate vof sheet metal may be cut up into a series of similarsquares or hexagons, with comparatively small waste of metal, and theseblanks so cut from the sheet may be pressed into a series of cup-shapedcaps adapted to fit over the neck of the bottle. It will be also seenthat the hexagonal shape when so bent will provide a greater series ofdownwardly projecting tabs than the square, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Serial No. 63,092.

will require a smaller blank to accomplish the same result than if theblank were square.

According to my invention I cut an ordinary plate of sheet metal, suchas is ordinarily used in the manufacture of metal caps for bottleclosures, into a series of hexagonal blanks, and I force these blanks ina suitable die to a cup-shaped form, when they are provided with theusual lining disk or disks of suitable soft yielding material, and

' are then placed in position on the top of the 3 shows a section alongthe line 3-3 of Fig.

1, being taken between two of the tabs of the cap; Fig. 4 shows theplate from which the blanks are out, and the manner in which they areout; Fig. 5 shows one of the blanks detached from the plate and readyfor forming into the cup-shaped cap; and Fig. 6 shows a modification, inwhich a slightly larger blank is used, and with more rounded angles. 4

A represents the neck of the bottle having the usual bead a at the topthereof.

13 represents the metal cap which in the finished shape is shown inFigs. 1, 2 and 3, and in which condition it is preferably provided withthe indentation b, the tabs 6 and the corrugated sides 6 Inclosed inthis cap are one or more layers or disks of suitable material, such ascork, birch bark, corn sta%k, or any other suitable yielding materia InFig. 5 one of the blanks from which the metal cap is formed is shown,which is hexagonal in shape having the sides I) with the angles slightlyrounded as at b. This slight rounding of the angles is preferable forconvenience in manipulating the bottle stopper, but does not interferewith the essential feature of the invention. A series of these blanks Bare cut out of a plate D, as shown in Fig. 4:, there being ordinarily anarrow zig-zag strip of metal Z left between adjacent blanks in theprocess of cutting, for convenience in cutting the same and in roundingthe angles 6, and this waste of metal in such cases is very smallindeed.

In practice the blank B is forced through a die to form a cap B, such asis shown in Figs. 1-3, and the angles 6' are caused to formdownwardly-projecting tabs symmetrically disposed to the cup-shaped cap;between which tabs a series of corrugations Z2 are formed. \Vhen thelining disks are placed in the cap, and the cap is inserted, a suitabletool is forced down over same, causing the lower edges of the cap toproject into the groove beneath the head a, and causing the two sides ofthe tab I) to form shoulders 6 which will project into the groovebeneath the head a, as shown in Fig. 2. These tabs will thus not onlyform looking means for said cap, but will also project slightly from thesides of the bottle, as shown in Fig. 2, and may be conveniently grippedby a suitable tool for removing the cap as in the operation of openingthe bottle.

- -By-having the blanks B formed hexagonal in shape, there will be sixof the tabs 6 and twelve locking shoulders b, in addition to the sixlocking edges 6 as shown in Fig. 3, all of which, being symmetricallydisposed around the bottle, will give a secure gripping effect to thecap when it is secured in place, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Moreover, byhaving the blanks hexagonal, and all of the same size, they may be cutout of a sheet of metal with very little loss of waste metalin thesheet.

In the form of device shown in Fig. 6, I

have shown the angles of the hexagon cut away as at b, somewhat morethan the angles of the hexagon are rounded, as shown at b, in Fig. 5.This would give a somewhat wider space between the shoulders 6 when thecap is mounted over and secured on the bottle top.

Thus it will be seen that I provide a metal cap for bottle closures ofthe character described, in which the locking tabs are symmetricallydisposed relative to the circumference of the cap, thus providing asubstantially uniform holding effect throughout the circumference of thecap; and by having these caps formed from hexagonal blanks a cap of themaximum diameter is used, with a minimum waste of metal in cutting thesame from the sheets.

I Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A bottle closure comprisinga metal cap formed from a blank substantially in the form of a regularhexagon, having its periphery bent downward to form a cup shape, theangles of the hexagon, being bent, to form a series of equidistantcrimped tabs projecting beyond the main body of the cap, and shouldersformed on each side of each tab to engage beneath. the head of thebottle neck when compressed to the locking position, substantially asdescribed.

2. A bottle closure comprising a metal cap formed from a blanksubstantially in the form-of a regular hexagon, having its peripherybent downward to form a cup shape, the angles of the hexagon, beingbent, to form a series of equidistant crimped tabs projecting beyond themain body of the cap, and shoulders formed on each side of each tab toengage beneath the bead of the bottle neck when compressed to thelocking position, with yielding packing means mounted in said cup-shapedcap, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

GEORGE F. ELLIOTT.

